With the Wisconsin state budget still unsettled, the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet today and Friday to talk about what steps to take next.
Among the items to be discussed at the meeting, which will be held at UW-River Falls, is the lack of a budget and how insufficient funding will affect the UW System.
"I think everyone in the university system is concerned with the lack of a budget," Regent Chuck Pruitt said. "I think that it's important for all of us to understand some of the implications and some of the consequences if we don't have a budget soon."
Pruitt said the Board of Regents is still committed to the budget they originally submitted and was approved by the state Senate.
"This is the budget that is going to hold down tuition, that's going to enable us to keep and retain quality faculty and that's going to enable us to grow the university and meet the economic needs that the state faces," Pruitt said.
Student Board of Regents member Colleene Thomas agreed with Pruitt.
"The reality is that the budget that the system put forward and the regents approved was a really reasonable proposal," Thomas said. "It's appearing that reason is not always the best tool to present to the Legislature."
Thomas added the regents have been working hard throughout the last three months to make it clear the UW System needs to be fully funded.
"Throughout the last several months the regents have continued to articulate the need for strong state support for the system," Thomas said. "I have been working with students across the system to encourage their legislators and representatives to give that support to the system."
Last Thursday, student leaders from across the state, including Thomas, sent a letter to the budget conference committee stressing the importance of funding the UW System. That same day, UW System president Kevin Reilly sent a similar letter warning of cuts if the UW System is not sufficiently funded.
On Wednesday, the Budget Conference Committee received a letter signed by 32 state business leaders stressing how a strong UW System is essential to a successful Wisconsin.
"As business leaders, we are concerned about the state's economic future," the letter said. "Our ability to compete and win in today's marketplace depends upon a steady supply of educated workers and reliable support from our public university."
Signers of the letter included the president of Madison Gas & Electric and the former mayor of Richland City.
"Fiscal responsibility is important. Prudent investments in Wisconsin's future are part of that responsibility," the letter said. "Conscientious investment in higher education is a solid move toward our goal of creating a vibrant state economy where high-growth businesses and high-wage jobs are abundant."
Other agenda items over the next two days include an Information Technology Update and UW-River Falls presentation titled "Living the Promise: The Global Connection."
Thomas said she was excited to visit UW-River Falls and hear about environmental concerns.
"They're a very eco-conscious campus," Thomas said. "I hope that they will end up as sort of a model for other campuses."
